Pati, 15 October 2025 – The Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), conducted a visit to the Agriculture Office of Pati Regency to initiate a strategic research collaboration. The visit was attended by Prof. Dr. Ir. Taryono, M.Sc., Rani Agustina Wulandari, S.P., M.P., Ph.D., and Dr. Elly Syafriani, S.P. as representatives of UGM, along with Sugianto, Faiz, and Agnas Wardhani from the Agriculture Office of Pati Regency. The primary focus of this collaboration is the development of a regional flagship commodity, namely kopyor coconut.
The visit included discussions between representatives of the Department of Agronomy UGM and the Agriculture Office of Pati Regency as a follow-up to the National Coconut Workshop held in July 2025. The discussions addressed the potential development of kopyor coconut, the current conditions of farmer-managed plantations, and prospective research collaborations that could be jointly developed.
The Department of Agronomy UGM presented progress in kopyor coconut research using tissue culture techniques, which have successfully produced plantlets up to the early growth stages, although challenges related to contamination rates remain. In response, the Agriculture Office of Pati Regency shared its experience in managing a kopyor coconut tissue culture laboratory established in 2019, which has successfully produced hundreds of seedlings up to the acclimatization stage, along with future plans to further develop production using somatic embryogenesis techniques.
The series of activities continued with a field visit to registered kopyor coconut mother plantations managed by assisted farmers and developed as educational agro-tourism sites. Based on the discussions and field observations, both parties agreed on follow-up plans for research collaboration, including the transfer of kopyor coconut planting materials from Pati Regency for further development in UGM laboratories.
This activity supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) through strengthening research on strategic food commodities, SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) through the development of tissue culture technologies, and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through collaboration between higher education institutions and local governments.
Author: Mareta Aulia Putri
Editor: Yudha Pria Wibawa
Photo: Department of Agronomy